Dan is the man

Lusk_Doyle

TheBlaaMan wrote: »

Dan will be riding a Colnago next year.........that's great. It sounds as if he will get a good team behind him for a decent crack at a grand tour.

http://www.uaeteamemirates.com/daniel-martin-board-ambitious-emirati-project/

I see they have an "off with their heads" policy for failed riders. He better be on top of his game!

neris

interview on the cycling podcast with patrick lefevre at the vuelta and he was asked about dan martin, said quickstep never offered dan a new contract or contacted dans side to sit down to even discuss him racinng with them in 2018. Wonder was dan hung out to dry at the tour coz the team knew they were moving him on for next year

mcgratheoin

neris wrote: »

interview on the cycling podcast with patrick lefevre at the vuelta and he was asked about dan martin, said quickstep never offered dan a new contract or contacted dans side to sit down to even discuss him racinng with them in 2018. Wonder was dan hung out to dry at the tour coz the team knew they were moving him on for next year

I'd say it's less a case of hanging him out to dry than Quickstep not really wanting to be a GC team. If you look at a squad with Gilbert, Boonen, Kittel, Stybar, Trentin, Gaviria as more or less your top riders, you can't really invest in a GC team at the same time. They signed Dan with classics in mind and having some sort of top 10 to 20 GC presence but they were never going to put the weight of the team behind him - it's the exact opposite to the Cav situation at Sky a few years ago.

brocbrocach

mcgratheoin wrote: »

I'd say it's less a case of hanging him out to dry than Quickstep not really wanting to be a GC team. If you look at a squad with Gilbert, Boonen, Kittel, Stybar, Trentin, Gaviria as more or less your top riders, you can't really invest in a GC team at the same time. They signed Dan with classics in mind and having some sort of top 10 to 20 GC presence but they were never going to put the weight of the team behind him - it's the exact opposite to the Cav situation at Sky a few years ago.

But he did all that for them, only behind Valverde and maybe Alaphillippe in Ardennes and getting great stage race results with minimal help. He did exactly what they would've wanted from him. Why would they not offer to extend him?

death1234567

brocbrocach wrote: »

Why would they not offer to extend him?

Money. They couldn't afford him or Kittel anymore given that they kept alaphillipe, gaviria, gilbert and jungels.

dastardly00

brocbrocach wrote: »

But he did all that for them, only behind Valverde and maybe Alaphillippe in Ardennes and getting great stage race results with minimal help. He did exactly what they would've wanted from him. Why would they not offer to extend him?

Yeah I agree.
Surely the best outcome for QuickStep would be to keep the status quo with Dan racing for them next season.
It doesn't make sense that they didn't want to hold contract talks with Dan Unless Dan had stated previously that he would leave if he didn't get more help from the team in a GT.

brocbrocach

death1234567 wrote: »

Money. They couldn't afford him or Kittel anymore given that they kept alaphillipe, gaviria, gilbert and jungels.

I know they're classics focused but Terpstra, Gilbert, Stybar are top-heavy for cobbles and Gaviria and Viviani are top-heavy for sprinting.
I wonder would Dan be on a few million?

Pudsy33

brocbrocach wrote: »

I know they're classics focused but Terpstra, Gilbert, Stybar are top-heavy for cobbles and Gaviria and Viviani are top-heavy for sprinting.
I wonder would Dan be on a few million?

Given his palmares I reckon he'd command 1.5 million or more. That's what I've heard anyway

dastardly00

death1234567 wrote: »

Money. They couldn't afford him or Kittel anymore given that they kept alaphillipe, gaviria, gilbert and jungels.

But you'd think Lefevre would offer him some sort of a contract, even with a crap salary and see how Dan would react, rather than just not offering anything?

neris

heres a link to that audio interview

https://twitter.com/cycling_podcast/status/899599261528199169

mcgratheoin

brocbrocach wrote: »

But he did all that for them, only behind Valverde and maybe Alaphillippe in Ardennes and getting great stage race results with minimal help. He did exactly what they would've wanted from him. Why would they not offer to extend him?

Because there were offers from other teams that they knew they couldn't match.

MPFGLB

of course Lefevere would keep Martin if he could but he could not match the double salary that Martin's agent got at UAE so he decided not to negiotate

Hence he made no offer ...its just his way of saying that his priority is classics and sprinters

He is not a GC man at all....he is in the Belgian market primarily

brocbrocach

Doubling his salary is some work. At least if he's selling his soul to the oil men, he's selling it for good money!

gordongekko

Sorry for dragging up an old thread but didn't know where to put this but he said today that his misses us having twins. So congrats Dan and jess

Kaisr Sose

gordongekko wrote: »

Sorry for dragging up an old thread but didn't know where to put this but he said today that his misses us having twins. So congrats Dan and jess

With that news and Philip Lizzie Deignana, there are going to be a lot of babies born with serious sporting DNA....

dastardly00

A massive congrats to Dan and his wife Jess on the birth of twin girls!


https://twitter.com/DanMartin86/status/1042466491692720129


http://www.stickybottle.com/latest-news/dan-martin-birth-twin-girls/

McTigs

Congratulations Dan....... on having a wife way better looking than you.

Macy0161

Wasn't sure where to post, and sure Dan is still the man, so...

The Cycling Podcast has an interview with Jeroen Swart, who's now with UAE as medical director, which seems to include biomechanics and they discuss TT's and Dan's impressive result already. Talks of using wind tunnels coming up - could be great for Dan to have proper support to address an obvious weakness.

I did hear Dan mention the wind tunnel in an interview before a stage of the Valencia race recently, and mentioning his form felt good. Seemed to be focusing on the upcoming UAE tour.

neris

Saying the ras should go back to it roots and be an amateur Irish club event

http://www.stickybottle.com/latest-news/dan-martin-ras-tailteann/

Taxuser1

Macy0161 wrote: »

Wasn't sure where to post, and sure Dan is still the man, so...

The Cycling Podcast has an interview with Jeroen Swart, who's now with UAE as medical director, which seems to include biomechanics and they discuss TT's and Dan's impressive result already. Talks of using wind tunnels coming up - could be great for Dan to have proper support to address an obvious weakness.

I'd be amazed if Dan all of a sudden becomes a comparable time triallist to Froome or top class climber testers because of a wind tunnel. He was at one of the best funded and well drilled team time trial teams in Quick Step and couldn't make the necessary improvements to match the top lads. Hard to see what UAE can do for him

Macy0161

You should give the podcast a listen. UAE are a team taking it all more seriously this year.

I never saw any indication that qs were interested in developing his individual tt. Or him as gc rider.

Macy0161

Macy0161 wrote: »

You should give the podcast a listen. UAE are a team taking it all more seriously this year.

I never saw any indication that qs were interested in developing his individual tt. Or him as gc rider.

You have to go back a bit for GC wins with Dan , Gamin days? Poland maybe?

Think he had 2 stage wins during his time with QSF in what could be seen as the lesser WT races. Never backed him in the tour and went with a sprint focus and help Dan if we can team.

Macy0161

Deleted User wrote: »

You have to go back a bit for GC wins with Dan , Gamin days? Poland maybe?

Overalls maybe not, but he's had a few podiums in week long stage races and a good few top 10's, including the Daupine (twice) and Paris Nice with QS.

This is the first time I recall a real hint at him or his taking improving his TT seriously tbh. I'm not expecting it to do enough to turn him into a GT winner, but could make him a more serious podium contender.

1bryan

Deleted User wrote: »

You have to go back a bit for GC wins with Dan , Gamin days? Poland maybe?

Think he had 2 stage wins during his time with QSF in what could be seen as the lesser WT races. Never backed him in the tour and went with a sprint focus and help Dan if we can team.

Catalunya was the big one. Hadn't Garmin become Cannondale by then? I can't remember the timing.

Dan going to UAE sounds like a case of him getting a last big paycheck before either his career goes into decline, or even his retirement. And who could blame him.

I'd expect his ambitions will extend no further than stage wins at this point of his career.

realdanbreen

bazermc wrote: »

Catch me if you can, my name is Dan, sure I'm your man

Hear hear!

Macy0161

1bryan wrote: »

I'd expect his ambitions will extend no further than stage wins at this point of his career.

I think that's a bit harsh tbh. He was 4th in Catalunya only a few weeks ago. Last season he was 4th in Dauphine, with a stage win. Top 10 in the tour, with s a stage win. Top 10 GC in Romandie. I think he has more chance of winning classics and week long stage races, but he's still well capable of strong 3 week GC performances imo.

While UAE have added Gavaria, they've also really shaken up the support staff, and the squad depth. Interesting times.

1bryan

Macy0161 wrote: »

I think that's a bit harsh tbh. He was 4th in Catalunya only a few weeks ago. Last season he was 4th in Dauphine, with a stage win. Top 10 in the tour, with s a stage win. Top 10 GC in Romandie. I think he has more chance of winning classics and week long stage races, but he's still well capable of strong 3 week GC performances imo.

While UAE have added Gavaria, they've also really shaken up the support staff, and the squad depth. Interesting times.

he has 2 massive distractions in his life this year though

terrydel

Taxuser1 wrote: »

I'd be amazed if Dan all of a sudden becomes a comparable time triallist to Froome or top class climber testers because of a wind tunnel. He was at one of the best funded and well drilled team time trial teams in Quick Step and couldn't make the necessary improvements to match the top lads. Hard to see what UAE can do for him

Get him on ped's?

Macy0161

terrydel wrote:

Get him on ped's?

The fella I mentioned as being medical director has a strong antidoping background.